


Redevance: Tales of Royalty

by memoryofyou



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gen, Modern AU - Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 10:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11273994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memoryofyou/pseuds/memoryofyou
Summary: Ingrid has lived a life of privilege her entire life. Palaces, jewels, anything her heart desired. However, she sees her life as a gilded cage. Now nineteen, she has one final chance to experience life before taking up her duties as Crown Princess of Sweden. Alongside her best friend, Princess Victoria of Italy, Ingrid seizes the moment and leaves Sweden for the "real university experience" that awaits her at Cambridge University. She quickly discovers that when you're a princess, however, there is no such thing as normal...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Redevance is a passion project of mine and was my NaNoWriMo novel for 2016. It basically began as a joke with my best friend that has since evolved into my first novel. I'll be posting chapters as I edit them. Basically, this is a Modern AU where all of the royalty of Europe continued to reign into the modern day. So, you'll see a reigning German Emperor, Tsar of Russia, King of France, etc.. You'll also see different versions of existing royal families (think The Prince and Me with regards to the Danish Royal Family). 
> 
> This is, in a nutshell, silly romantic fluff. Do not expected something heavy or necessarily realistic. I just really wanted to play around with some rich characters in pretty jewels.

Ingrid watched the countryside pass by in a haze as she stared out the window of the sleek black SUV that was taking her closer and closer to her country’s capital city of Stockholm. Her family – her parents, younger brother, and two younger sisters – had stayed behind at their family home on the island of Oland at her request. At nineteen, this was the biggest declaration of independence she had made thus far in her young life. Going off to university was a rite of passage, and Ingrid had argued that embarking on such an experience with her parents watching from the sidelines was not a part of such an ‘adult’ endeavor. Still, as she left Oland behind and inched closer and closer to Stockholm, she found herself yearning for the comfort and familiarity of her parents at her side. 

“Are you alright, Your Royal Highness?” Ingrid looked away from the window and toward Eddie, her SAPO officer and personal bodyguard who was driving the vehicle.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just nerves.” She replied, giving as confident of a smile as she could muster. 

“About university, or the flight?” It was a well-known secret amongst the inner sanctum of the royal family that Ingrid had a deathly fear of flying, an affliction that was not easy to overcome when one was expected to travel out of the country regularly. 

“It’s safe to say both, I think.”

“Just remember your exercises.” Eddie replied, and Ingrid nodded in response. Eddie had been her bodyguard for the past two years, and was privy to her occasionally-crippling anxiety attacks. He had been trained by her therapist to aid her during her panics, and knew her coping mechanisms as well as she did herself. He was tall, with short-cropped blonde hair and blue eyes – every bit the stereotypical Scandinavian man. He had offered little of his personal history to her, despite their years of spending nearly every waking moment together. She knew that before he had joined SAPO he had been with the Life Guards, but before that he had always been tight-lipped. She knew that he was a highly-decorated military officer, and suspected that he had been a member of the Kustjagarna, the most elite of Swedish Special Forces. “We will be in Stockholm soon. Would you like to go back to the palace or straight to the airport?”

“The airport. No point in putting off the inevitable, right?”

“You are the one who chose to go to university abroad, Your Royal Highness.”

“How many times must I ask you to call me Ingrid, Eddie?”

“As always, at least once more, ma’am.” Ingrid laughed and shook her head, Eddie knew she hated ‘ma’am’ of all the forms of address that were given to her.

“Just drive, Eddie.” She said with a grin. 

What felt like mere minutes later, Eddie was pulling into the private entrance to Arlanda airport. Her father had insisted on a charter flight, rather than letting her book a commercial ticket as she had wished. It had already been a months-long battle to get her father to agree to a foreign university, and Ingrid’s mother had wisely advised her to pick her battles. So, as expected, when they pulled up to the tarmac there was a small jet waiting for her and Eddie, and Ingrid quickly recognized two SAPO officers waiting by the ladder.

“Eddie, why are there more SAPO?” Ingrid asked, feeling irritation rise within her. 

“His Majesty’s orders, ma’am. They are to stay with us until you and Princess Victoria are settled into your new living arrangements.

“Did you know about this?” 

“I did.”

“And why did you not feel the need to tell me?” Ingrid felt the sting of betrayal. Eddie might be her bodyguard, but she also considered him a close friend. He knew how she worried about increased security robbing her of her privacy, and it had been another bone of contention with her father. 

“I am sorry, Your Royal Highness. But at the end of the day, the King is my boss – as well as yours.”

“You still could have warned me.” Ingrid bit out before throwing her door open, not bothering to wait for Eddie to open it as she normally would. She nodded a quick hello to the new SAPO officers – it wasn’t  _ their _ fault that her father was an overprotective, overbearing monarch after all – and stepped up into the plane. 

The betrayal was enough to momentarily distract her from fear of flying, and she took a seat in the front of the plane, throwing her handbag into the seat across the aisle from her. She sat down with a huff, grabbing her phone and sending off a text message to her best friend, Victoria.

Ingrid knew that Victoria’s grandfather, the King of Italy, had a tendency to be paranoid when it came to the safety of his family, but four extra protection officers for his granddaughter still seemed excessive. Victoria was second in line to the throne behind her father, Crown Prince Umberto, but both she and Victoria had been granted the right to a private childhood and adolescence that the media gave to all royal children. The result was that, despite their high profiles as future queen regnants, they could still get away with a fair amount of anonymity when they tried – especially Victoria, who was still one step away from being Crown Princess herself. Still, she supposed it was just one more compromise they were going to have to make in order to have the university experience they both craved. Having been taught by private tutors during their childhood, followed by spending their teen years at Le Rosey, the most exclusive private boarding school in Europe, both she and Victoria saw Cambridge as their last chance to have a normal educational experience before they were expected to take on the royal life full-time. 

As the pilot and flight attendants began their final checks, Ingrid watched out of the corner of her eye as the two new bodyguards took seats at the back of the plane. Ingrid hoped that Eddie would do the same, but instead he took the seat beside her with an unnecessarily heavy ‘thump,’ looking straight ahead instead of at her.

“There are quite a few other seats on this plane, you know.” Ingrid snapped.

“Ah, but this one affords me the best view.”

“You’re in an aisle seat.”

“You are very observant, Your Highness.” Ingrid chose to sigh heavily in response, crossing her arms across her chest and turning toward the window.

“You’re inching very close to Princess Mode.” He warned, and Ingrid rolled her eyes. Princess Mode was a term that Mira, her previous bodyguard, had coined when she was a child and prone to throwing fits. As she had grown up, Mira had used it as a subtle warning to Ingrid that she was in need of what Mira referred to as ‘an attitude adjustment.’ Unfortunately for Ingrid, it was a term that Mira had passed on to her successor.

Ingrid chose not to respond further, instead staring out the window as the plane began to taxi toward the runway. She felt the ball of nerves begin to gather in the pit of her stomach almost immediately, and did her best to quell the rising anxiety. 

“Count, Your Royal Highness.” Eddie murmured next to her, and Ingrid began to count down from twenty in her head. She watched out of the window as the plane turned and began to move down the runway, slowly picking up speed. She felt her heartbeat quicken as the plane moved faster and faster, the small private jet beginning to vibrate and shake.

“Out loud, Your Royal Highness.” Eddie insisted, and Ingrid could only nod sharply before shutting her eyes and leaning her head back against the headrest.

“ _ Tretton, Tolv, Elva, Tio, Nio, Atta, Sju… _ ” Ingrid felt her voice falter as the plane lifted off of the ground. This was her least favorite part, and she felt her body go rigid as fear coursed through her. Distantly, she felt Eddie place his hand over hers, and continue her counting.

“ _ Sex, Fem, Fyra, Tre, Tva, Ett. _ ” He said, and Ingrid twisted her hand around to let go of the armrest and grasped Eddie’s hand. She forced herself to breathe as the plane gained height, and felt her stomach settle as they reached cruising altitude.

“Are you alright, Your Royal Highness?” Eddie asked after a moment, and Ingrid nodded.

“Yes, I’m okay now.”

“Could I possibly have my hand back, then?” Eddie asked, and Ingrid looked over to see him smirking at her.

“I suppose that you can, Mr. Nilsson.” Ingrid replied, letting go of his hand. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and shot off a text to her mother, telling her that they had successfully taken off. She also sent a message to Victoria, who had already landed in London that morning. The plan was that they would remain in London for the first few days, then they would go on to Cambridge together. She and Victoria had initially fought for a traditional dormitory, but their parents (and Toria’s grandfather) as well as their protection officers had insisted that it was logistically impossible. Instead, they would be renting a house on the outskirts of town, with both privacy and enough bedrooms to allow their bodyguards to reside with them. They had both decided that it was not a battle worth fighting, and had compromised on the issue.

Before they moved on to Cambridge, however, they would both be staying as the private guests of Ingrid’s maternal grandparents. Private guest or not, however, her current outfit of black leggings and oversized sweater were not proper clothes to be worn in the presence of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom. One of her mother’s Ladies-in-Waiting had had a more appropriate dress brought on to the plane prior to their departure, and Ingrid unbuckled her seatbelt so she could go about getting ready. A canary yellow sheath dress waited for her in the small bathroom of the plane, with her favorite pair of nude heels. Stripping out of the sweater and leggings, she slipped the dress on and began to touch up her hair and makeup, pulling her long brown hair into a tidy braid that wound behind her head and around to lie across her shoulder. As she finished fastening her favorite pair of pearl pendant earrings (an eighteenth birthday present from the grandparents she would soon be visiting) she heard the pilot announcing that they would soon be descending. Feeling her stomach lurch once again, she gathered her makeup and clothes and stuffed them into the bag the Lady-in-Waiting had left for her to use. She stepped out into the main cabin of the jet and stowed the bag away above one of the empty seats. She noticed that Eddie had moved to the window seat and took the one he had vacated, strapping the seat belt on as she waited for the plane to begin its descent.

A press release had been released two days prior that Ingrid had chosen Cambridge to continue her education, and there was no guarantee there would not be paparazzi waiting at the airport hoping to get a shot of her arrival. She checked over her dress and accessories once again, and she heard Eddie chuckle beside her.

“You look lovely, Your Royal Highness. No need to fidget.”

“That is easy for you to say. If I have a stray hem or broken heel,  _ you _ won’t be the one on the cover of  _ Expressen _ tomorrow morning.”

“I will have you know that I have been referred to as ‘the unidentified man accompanying Crown Princess Ingrid’ on many occasions. I am practically a celebrity.”

“Yes, you’re a regular Madonna.”

“You haven’t heard me sing ‘Like A Virgin’ or you would be eating those words, ma’am.”

Ingrid laughed and shook her head, taking out her phone and sending Victoria a text that they would soon be landing. She felt the tension building once again and sighed in frustration and exhaustion. After an entire life spent traveling, she always hoped and prayed that this would be  _ the _ flight, the one where she magically did not freak out anymore. She felt the plane move lower and lower, and glanced past Eddie and out the window to where she could see the London suburbs getting closer and closer. She was always better with the descent than the takeoff, but always dreaded the moment when the wheels touched down on the runway, sending her lurching forward in her seat. She pushed herself back against the seat as the pilot quickly slowed the jet down and taxied to a nearby terminal. She could see two cars waiting for them – black SUVs, as usual – and felt a sigh of relief that the flying portion of her move was now blessedly over. 

“Are you ready, Your Royal Highness?” Eddie asked as he removed his seatbelt.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Ingrid replied, standing up and smoothing out any wrinkles that had appeared on her dress. “Let’s get this adventure started.”


	2. Chapter Two

The drive from the airport into the center of London was not as troublesome as Ingrid had feared. The city was bustling, as it always was, but it was the middle of a workday, which meant less traffic, and the driver of the SUV carrying Ingrid and Eddie toward Buckingham Palace moved through the streets with practiced ease. Ingrid had received a text from Victoria stating that she had already arrived at the palace and was waiting for her in one of the many private audience chambers in the sprawling working home. Ingrid watched through the window as her grandparents’ home came into view, the large statue of Queen Victoria, her great-great-great-great-grandmother, an imposing monument in front of her that they circled around before slipping through the gates of Buckingham Palace. A small crowd was gathered outside of the palace, the typical tourists that were there no matter what time of day. A few stared at the cars curiously, but the tinted windows offered no clue as to who was inside. Ingrid supposed that more than a few tourists would be online tonight telling friends and family how they had seen the King and Queen enter the palace. 

The car pulled through the archway leading to the sprawling courtyard in the middle of the palace. As soon as the SUV came to a stop Eddie hopped out of the vehicle, making a quick scan of the area before stepping out of the doorway and allowing Ingrid to get out as well. She watched as he shook hands with what she assumed was a member of her grandfather’s security team, then saw a middle-aged woman in a crisp grey suit approach her with a polite smile on her face.

“Welcome to Buckingham Palace, Your Royal Highness.” The woman greeted, extending her hand. Ingrid shook it, bowing her head in greeting as the woman dropped into a practiced curtsey. 

“Thank you. I am pleased to be here.” Ingrid replied in English, waiting for the woman to return to a standing position.

“My name is Anna Berenfort. I am a member of Her Majesty The Queen’s staff, and I will be available for any needs you or Princess Victoria have during your stay here.”

“I appreciate that, Ms. Berenfort. I was told that the Princess is already here?”

“Of course, ma’am. Right this way, I will take you to her.” Anna replied with a nod, turning on her heel and heading back into the palace. 

Despite the fact that she traveled to England every year to visit her mother’s family, Ingrid had only been to Buckingham a handful of times during her life. Her grandparents greatly preferred the peace and solitude of Windsor Castle to the hustle and bustle of London life, and their family almost always gathered in the English countryside as a result. Where Windsor was a true castle and almost medieval in its edifice and decorations, Buckingham always reminded her of her family’s own palace in Stockholm. The tall, narrow rooms and gilded decorations were similar to that of her own home, and Ingrid felt a pang of homesickness as Anna led her through the hallways and up the stairs toward her grandmother’s private audience chambers. 

Ingrid, Anna, and Eddie arrived at a closed door leading to the room where Ingrid assumed that Victoria was waiting. Anna knocked quietly and waited for a moment before opening the door, allowing Ingrid to enter. The room seemed empty, but a moment later Victoria emerged from an adjoining room, and Ingrid felt a genuine smile break out on her face from the sight of her closest friend. Always conscious of their surroundings, however, Victoria approached her sedately – though Ingrid saw a matching smile on her friend’s face as she approached.

“Your Royal Highness.” Victoria greeted, kissing Ingrid’s cheek before dropping down into a small curtsey.

“Your Royal Highness.” Ingrid replied, acknowledging her friend’s obeisance with as much dignity as she could muster without dissolving into a fit of laughter. She’d always think it strange to find her friends and family bowing and curtseying to her, but also appreciated that they too strove to hold on to their traditions. Once Victoria rose back up, Ingrid laughed and pulled her friend into a genuine hug.

“Victoria! I’ve missed you so much!” Ingrid said, holding tightly to her best friend.

“I have missed you too,  _ mie care _ !” Victoria replied, returning the hug just as fiercely. 

Ingrid eventually pulled away, taking the chance to truly take in the sight of her dearest friend. Victoria was a true Italian beauty – tall and thin, with long dark blonde hair she was currently wearing down, but pulled away from her face. Her dark green dress showed off her long legs to perfection, while still being demure enough to be considered proper. They had first met as children through their mothers, Theresa and Isabelle, who had been childhood friends themselves. They had grown closer as teenagers, when they both were sent to boarding school and were assigned to share a room. In the year since they had left Le Rosey, the miles had separated them but now that they were together again Ingrid knew it would be as if the separation had never happened. 

“How was your flight?” Victoria asked, and Ingrid knew that she was asking about how Ingrid had handled the flight instead of the flight itself.

“Not too bad. I’ve had worse.” Ingrid replied, and Victoria seemed satisfied. 

“Your Royal Highnesses, if you’ll come with me I shall escort you to Her Majesty’s audience room.” Anna said, interrupting their reunion. One didn’t keep Queen Catherine waiting, best friend reunion or no. Ingrid and Victoria nodded and followed Anna back out into the hallway, letting themselves be led deeper into the private apartments that belonged to Ingrid’s grandparents. Her father’s parents, Crown Prince Oscar and Princess Feodora, had both died long before her parents had met, which meant that her mother Theresa’s parents had been the only set of grandparents she had ever known. Even though they were separated by countries, Queen Catherine in particular had always been loving and attentive toward her and her siblings, and it had been King William who had convinced her mother to allow her to attend Cambridge during their yearly reunion at Windsor. 

They arrived at another set of closed doors, and this time Anna didn’t bother to knock, simply stood in front of the doors and waited. A moment later, someone whom Ingrid could only assume was another member of her grandmother’s staff opened the door from the other side. Anna nodded to him and stepped aside, allowing Ingrid and Victoria to enter. 

“Your Majesty. May I present Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Princess of Sweden and Princess Victoria of Italy.” The man introduced them, and Ingrid spotted her grandmother standing up from a nearby couch and moving to greet them.

“Well, of course I know my own granddaughter.” Queen Catherine replied, moving to pull Ingrid into a hug. Ingrid returned the hug heartily and dipped into a low curtsey after she pulled away, Victoria following suit.

“Your Majesty.” The both greeted, and Catherine laughed.

“Alright, alright, enough of that.” Catherine waved the formal greeting off with a dismissive hand, one that also sent the man out the door with a nod to join Anna, Eddie, and Victoria’s bodyguard. “I have been waiting for you two all day. Victoria, my dear, I don’t believe I’ve seen you since you were a child.”

“No, ma’am, I don’t believe so. You accompanied His Majesty to my country on a state visit when I was eleven I believe.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. I remember nearly being tripped underfoot by one of your siblings, a sister I think?”

Victoria laughed and nodded before answering. “Yes, my sister Cecilia. She still has a habit of getting underfoot.”

“In my day, children were to be seen and not heard. I am glad that has changed for the younger generations.” Catherine replied, guiding them back to the couch where a full complement of tea, scones, and other pastries were waiting. “How is your mother, Ingrid?”

“She’s well, Grandmother.” Ingrid replied, taking the cup of tea Queen Catherine offered her along with several cubes of sugar. “They’re all set to return to Stockholm from Oland this week.”

“And your siblings?”

“They are doing wonderfully. Carl Edmund will hopefully be leaving to begin his military training with the Navy soon, and Margaretha will return to Le Rosey next week. Amelie will be beginning her first year there as well.”

“An empty nest for Theresa and Bertil, then?”

“Yes, ma’am. I think they are looking forward to the quiet.”

“And you, Victoria? What of your siblings?”

“My younger brother, Prince Michele, recently welcomed his first son with his wife, Your Majesty. He is also named Michele.”

“Your father and grandfather must be very proud, to have the next generation beginning. But so young to be having a child!” Catherine replied, eyes wide.

“Yes, ma’am. My brother is only nineteen, and Monika only twenty herself. But they are in love and happy.”

“Well, I suppose that’s all you can hope for in this life. I was only seventeen myself when I married the King. But it was a different time, a different world.”

“That is true. But I believe marriage and fatherhood has brought my brother peace. My sister, Cecilia, is entering her final year at L’Ermitage and my youngest brother, Thomas, has decided to attend Schule Birklehof in Baden.”

“Wonderful, wonderful.” Catherine replied, and Ingrid let herself relax slightly into the couch. Her grandmother could be a formidable woman, but had an air about her that allowed you to let your guard down. 

“Where is Grandfather?” Ingrid asked. She had expected to see both of her grandparents, as they were typically inseparable except when forced to do so by duty.

“He is opening a new train station in Clapham. He thought he would be back in time for our tea, but I suppose something has kept him.”

“Well that’s too bad. I suppose, though, that we’ll have more opportunities to visit now that I’ll be so much closer.”

“Yes, my dear. We were both so very pleased when you chose Cambridge. You as well, Victoria. It is an excellent opportunity for you both. When I was young, there weren’t many opportunities afforded to women of our social class as far as education. It was considered unbecoming for a young lady in my position to attend a university.”

“Would you like to have attended university,  _ Sua Maesta _ ?” Victoria asked, reaching across the table to grab a scone.

“Oh, certainly. I always loved books. I would have cherished the chance to study in the great libraries, to argue over symbolism or motivations. But, it was not meant to be I think. Instead, I left Coburg for England and married your grandfather.”

“I’m sorry, Grandmother.” Ingrid replied.

“Oh, don’t be my dear. Your grandfather is a wonderful man, and we have had a wonderful life together that I hope will continue for many years. I have four healthy children, who have all married well and given me eight beautiful grandchildren. Including you,  _ meine liebste _ .”

Ingrid ducked her head and blushed, and Catherine continued on without missing a beat. “What will you be studying in school?”

“I will be studying History of Art.” Victoria replied, before sending a smirk toward Ingrid. “Ingrid has not decided yet.”

“I  _ have _ decided, Grandmother. The problem is that Papa is against it.”

“And what have you chosen,  _ liebste _ ?”

“I want to study Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian History, but Papa thinks that I should choose something useful, such as Law.”

“Bertil has always been set in his ways, my dear.” Catherine replied, shaking her head. “You will not be able to change him. Perhaps it is best to simply go your own way. It is easier sometimes to ask forgiveness than permission.”

“Grandmother!” Ingrid replied with a laugh. 

Catherine laughed as well, but set aside her cup of tea and pulled Ingrid’s hands into her lap, a serious look taking over her features.

“Ingrid,  _ meine liebste _ . You are facing a lifetime of duty and expectation. You both are.” At this, she glanced at Victoria as well. “You have been given a gift I never had. Something worth more than palaces or jewels or fine gowns. You have been given the gift of freedom. A chance to discover who you truly are, a chance to simply be you and not a title. Take this time, take this freedom, and do with it what you will. Your father will understand.”

“Thank you Grandmother.” Ingrid replied, hugging the older woman. 

“You are welcome, dearest.” Catherine replied, pulling away and grabbing Victoria’s hand as well. “Now, you two have done your duty and kept an old woman company. Go and explore London, have fun!” Catherine rose and Ingrid and Victoria moved from the couch as well. They both hugged the Queen before dropping into quick curtseys. Queen Catherine moved toward the exit before pausing, turning back to them.

“Your cousin, Prince Albert, will be presiding over investitures tomorrow. If you would like to attend, simply let Anna know and she will add you both to the list of attendees.”

“We would be delighted to attend.” Ingrid replied, knowing that the invitation was being extended not by her Grandmother, but by Queen Catherine of the United Kingdom. She knew that, living in England, she would be expected to attend certain family events, and that the Firm would be looking at her as a way to raise the profile of the royal family. Currently, the younger generation of British royals was a rather small pool – Prince Albert was the only child of her uncle James, Prince of Wales, and her other uncle, The Duke of York, only had two daughters – Genevieve and Katherine. Genevieve was very much a London socialite, while Katherine – at 17 – had only just began to dip her toe into public life. That meant that there were a scant few to represent the younger generation. 

After Queen Catherine had left the room, Ingrid and Victoria were led out of the private apartments of the palace by Anna, who instructed them as to the itinerary for the next day’s investiture ceremony. Eddie and Shamira, Victoria’s bodyguard, followed behind and had an SUV waiting for them when they returned to the courtyard. Ingrid and Victoria climbed into the backseat, with Eddie and Shamira taking the front. The car quickly sped out of the palace courtyard and out onto the roundabout outside of the palace, heading toward the hotel that the girls would be staying at until leaving for Cambridge. 

“Sorry about the ceremony invitation.” Ingrid said to Victoria. “I thought they would at least give me a day to settle in, and I did not think you would get roped into it as well.”

“It’s fine,  _ mie care _ . I believe we are getting off easy, no? An investiture is not a state banquet, after all.”

“Just give it time, I am sure we will both get that invite as well.” Ingrid replied, only slightly bitter. 

“Relax, my friend. Do not let such things bother you. We will attend, do our duty, then go on about our business.”

“You’re right.”

“As usual!” Victoria said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “You should know by now to listen to me. Now, the true question is, have you asked your cousin where the best club in London is?”


End file.
